Balboa vs Blue Ground
Where Balboa belongs to Behr's range, Blue Ground is a Farrow & Ball color. These are both blues, so the question isn't which hue to choose — it's where within blue to land. Balboa (LRV 58) reflects noticeably more light than Blue Ground (LRV 49), a difference of 9 points that becomes especially apparent in rooms with limited natural light. Balboa runs blue while Blue Ground is decidedly cool, which means they'll respond very differently to warm vs cool light sources. The ΔE 5.6 gap is real but not dramatic — close enough to use together, distinct enough to matter as a choice. Below you'll find 3 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Balboa vs Blue Ground in Real Spaces
3 real rooms side by side. Balboa and Blue Ground are close enough that the difference can be hard to judge from a chip alone — these photos show how each reads at scale, across different spaces and lighting conditions.
Living Room
In a living room, color works across both daylight and evening light — the same wall can read very differently at noon and at 8pm. The LRV gap is large enough that Balboa will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than Blue Ground would.
House
Seen across an entire facade, subtle tonal differences become pronounced. What reads as nearly the same on a chip often reads as clearly different at scale. Balboa reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Blue Ground.
Kitchen Cabinets
Kitchen cabinets are constantly compared against adjacent materials, which means subtle differences between these two become much more visible. Balboa reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Blue Ground.
Color Details
Balboa vs Blue Ground Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Balboa on one side and Blue Ground on the other.
Digital color is approximate. These simulations are generated from the manufacturer's hex values and overlaid on grayscale room photos — your screen's calibration, brightness, and viewing angle all affect how they render. Before committing to either color, test physical samples in your own space under the light you actually live with.
More Balboa comparisons
See how Balboa stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
At LRV 83 vs 58, White Dove is decisively the brighter choice.
Balboa reads slightly lighter (LRV 58 vs 52), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Balboa reflects far more light (LRV 58 vs 30), opening up a space where Evergreen Fog encloses it.
With LRVs of 60 and 58, the two reflect almost the same amount of light.
Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 58 vs 58), so neither reads brighter in a room.
At LRV 58 vs 27, Balboa is decisively the brighter choice.
Balboa reflects far more light (LRV 58 vs 43), opening up a space where French Gray encloses it.
A 3-point LRV gap (58 vs 55) makes Balboa the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 58 vs 44, Balboa is decisively the brighter choice.
Pure White reflects far more light (LRV 84 vs 58), opening up a space where Balboa encloses it.
A 7-point LRV gap (66 vs 58) makes Balboa Mist the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 74 vs 58, Shoji White is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 58 vs 12, Balboa is decisively the brighter choice.
A 10-point LRV gap (68 vs 58) makes Skimming Stone the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 58 vs 12, Balboa is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 58 vs 45, Balboa is decisively the brighter choice.
Balboa reflects far more light (LRV 58 vs 31), opening up a space where Pale Green encloses it.
Balboa reflects far more light (LRV 58 vs 7), opening up a space where Pine Needle encloses it.
Balboa reflects far more light (LRV 58 vs 24), opening up a space where Cement grey encloses it.
With LRVs of 58 and 57, the two reflect almost the same amount of light.